Catherine, Princess of Wales shares new photo of Charlotte for her ninth birthday

The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a new photo of their daughter, Princess Charlotte, to celebrate her ninth birthday.

In the picture taken by her mother Catherine, Princess of Wales, Charlotte smiles confidently for the camera as she leans against a fence festooned with flowers in the garden of their home in Windsor.

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The pale pink flowers, in question, appear to be a subtle nod to her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The Clematis Elizabeth flowers were named in the Queen’s honour, as noted by the Mirror’s Royal Editor Russell Myers.

“Happy 9th birthday, Princess Charlotte! Thank you for all of the kind messages today,” the picture was captioned on the couple’s X account on Thursday.

Charlotte wears a dark red cardigan, a blue top and a denim skirt with stockings.

Royal followers loved the picture.

“She’s growing up so fast and isn’t she the image of her father,” one follower wrote.

“Another gorgeous photo taken by Catherine,” noted another.

“Am enjoying seeing her grow up and flourish.”

“Magical. Happy birthday young lady,” wrote a third.

One fan said Charlotte had her father’s eyes and her mother’s “beautiful smile”.

“What a delightful photograph,” another noted.

Charlotte’s younger brother Louis turned six last week and in keeping with tradition, a new picture of him was also released by his parents.

Kensington Palace has for some years released photographs taken by Kate, a keen amateur photographer, to mark birthdays and other family occasions.

However, a picture issued on UK Mother’s Day in March was withdrawn by a number of news agencies because it had been edited, something for which Kate later apologised.

That occurred shortly before the princess revealed she was having preventative chemotherapy after tests carried out following major abdominal surgery she underwent in January revealed that cancer had been present.

Heir to the throne, William has only just returned to official duties since that announcement, and Kate herself will only return to the public spotlight when her medical team says she is well enough to do so.